Surinamese teloh
Teloh: fried cassava with salt fish and sambal
Teloh is Javanese-Surinamese comfort food, sold from roadside stalls in Commewijne and Wanica and eaten on the run at lunchtime: crisp fried cassava with a spoonful of sautéed salted cod (bakkeljauw) cooked with onion, tomato and garlic, and a fierce sambal on the side. Salt fish must be soaked to draw out the salt, and it is done in the fridge, changing the water. The common mistake is frying raw cassava straight away; it must be boiled first until tender or it stays hard and fibrous in the middle. Chef's tip: let the boiled cassava steam dry and cool before frying, and the outside goes glassy and crisp.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cassava
- 2 ¼ lb cassava (yuca)peeled, cored and cut into 8 cm fingers
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
For the salt fish
- 9 oz salted cod (bakkeljauw)soaked in the fridge for 12 hours, water changed twice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionsliced
- 3 cloves garlicchopped
- 2 tomatoeschopped
For the sambal
- 4 red chilliesroughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz salted cod (bakkeljauw), cover with fresh water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, cool, then flake, removing skin and bones.
10 minStep 2: Boil 2 ¼ lb cassava (yuca) in water with 1 tsp salt until tender all the way through but not falling apart, 20–25 minutes. Drain, remove the woody cores and let steam dry for 10 minutes.
25 minStep 3: Pound or blend 4 red chillies, 1 clove garlic, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tbsp lime juice to a coarse paste.
Step 4: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and soften 1 onion and 3 cloves garlic for 5 minutes. Add 2 tomatoes and ½ Madame Jeanette or scotch bonnet chilli and cook until saucy, 5 minutes, then stir in the fish and heat through until steaming hot.
10 minStep 5: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep pan. Fry the cassava in batches until golden and crisp outside, 4–5 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper.
10 minStep 6: Pile the cassava on plates with the salt fish on top and the sambal on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 75 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does surinamese teloh take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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